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Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United: The gulf between them in numbers

Liverpool moved back to the top of the Premier League with victory

Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho at Anfield ahead of Liverpool's clash with Manchester United

Liverpool needed two deflected goals from substitute Xherdan Shaqiri to give them the 3-1 win over Manchester United that took them back to the top of the Premier League table. But there was no mistaking the gulf between these two great rivals at Anfield on Sunday.

United did their best to stay in the game and largely succeeded in staving off Liverpool's early onslaught. But the flow of the contest reflected that gap - Jurgen Klopp's team are now 19 points clear of Jose Mourinho's United side just 17 matches into the season.

Based on the relevant points system in place at the time, that is the biggest advantage that Liverpool have held over United at this stage of a season in English top-flight history. But it was not the only record that was broken on Super Sunday.

Liverpool's shot count was astonishing. They had nine attempts inside the first 20 minutes of the game and the shots continue to be fired off throughout. When it was all over, Liverpool had registered no fewer than 36 of them compared to United's six.

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Highlights from Liverpool's 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester United
Super-sub Shaqiri sends Liverpool top
Super-sub Shaqiri sends Liverpool top

Xherdan Shaqiri came off the bench to score two goals as Liverpool returned to the top with a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield.

Roberto Firmino had nine. Both Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho had as many shots on target as the United side. In the end, every single Liverpool outfield player, including both substitutes, had at least one shot.

Admittedly, many of the 36 were speculative efforts from distance and Mourinho suggested afterwards that it was evidence that Liverpool's plan was not working. But it paid off in the end when Shaqiri twice got the benefit of fortunate deflections.

"He will think it was two deflections but if you are having 36 shots at goal there is every chance you will get a deflection with one of the 36," Graeme Souness told Sky Sports.

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Most shots in a game in the Premier League 2018-10 -- Liverpool broke the record for the season against Manchester United
Image: Liverpool had more shots than any team in a single game this season

This was the most shots that United have faced in a single Premier League game since Opta began recording shot data at the beginning of the 2003 season, but the number of shots was not only remarkable in the context of their proud history. It was a huge tally for any Premier League game.

Liverpool's 36 shots are the most by any team in a game this season, breaking the previous record of 32 set by Manchester City in a 6-1 win over Huddersfield.

That reflects the scale of Liverpool's dominance on Sunday. Their corner count stood at 13 before United earned one of their own. Romelu Lukaku had three touches of the ball in the opening 15 minutes and two of them came in his own penalty box.

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Mourinho says Manchester United can still finish in the top four this season

The Belgian had the fewest number of touches of any player on the pitch in the first half - his 10 touches being less than half as many as any other outfield player on either team.

In contrast, Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino was at the heart of everything, having 48 touches of the ball in that opening 45 minutes - more than anyone else. The only surprise was that the home side did not conjure up more than the three that they did score before it was over.

No wonder that Manchester United's defensive record is so poor this season. They have already conceded 29 goals in the competition in 2018-19, which is now more than they conceded during the entire 2017-18 campaign.

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In contrast, Liverpool boast the best defensive record in the Premier League having conceded less than a quarter of that many.

That sort of defensive record used to be one of Mourinho's greatest assets. His Chelsea side of 2004-05 still holds the Premier League record for the fewest goals conceded in a season, although even that number of 15 could be under threat by this Liverpool team.

The landscape has changed. For Mourinho, this was his first Premier League defeat at Anfield in over a decade. And this was confirmation if any was needed that the gulf between Liverpool and Manchester United is vast.

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